03/20/2014
Friends,
When Hemant and I decided to launch the Penny Lane Yacht page, we certainly did not anticipate such an overwhelming response! We are both very grateful to you all for liking us and helping to kick off this new adventure!
I know many of you are curious as to what this is all about, so I thought I might give you some insight into our plans and hopes and dreams. We would certainly love the opportunity to meet you all in person one day, but in the meantime, I hope we can at least take your imagination along with us on this incredible journey.
While "Penny Lane Yacht" is Hemant's brain-child, its roots began in Singapore many years ago when five rag-tag teenage boys – Hemant, Miguel, Greg, Mike and myself – first met and established what has now turned out to be an amazing 40-year long friendship (despite long gaps in the timeline! Thank you Social Media!).
From the beginning, the bond that has existed between us has always carried with it a deep desire to provide help and support for each other in any way possible. It is with this aspiration therefore, this passion, that now, as teenagers in our 50s, we are pursuing this opportunity.
For the moment, it is Hemant and I who have started the ball rolling, but the ultimate game plan is that it won't be long before the five brothers are working together, as we have hoped and dreamed.
The idea for a boat based business stems from Hemant's experience in the Hospitality and Aged Care industries. While working for a large retirement and aged care community, he came up with the concept of owning a live-aboard boat that could also be used to provide the residents with an opportunity to 'get out of the house' and spend a few hours cruising the placid waters of San Francisco Bay.
With that in mind he spent many months hunting around for just the right boat for the job, and finally found this 55ft Californian in Stockton.
What was appealing about this particular motor yacht from the start was the modular flow of the internal design from bow to stern, making it a perfect candidate for carrying a large number of people in relative ease and comfort and safety.
Interestingly it is also one of only 4 Californians with a fully enclosed fiberglass aft deck, which is great in winter, and was once owned by a well-known TV personality from the 60s... Rumor has it that this celebrity really loved to entertain! (And some have considered that perhaps his ghost is still there and still wants to party!)
But, in turning any dream into reality, there are always these frustrating little roadblocks.
It turns out that the requirements necessary to operate a boat that can carry more than 6 paying passengers is very restrictive (and expensive!), especially if it was not built to the exacting standards of the US Coast Guard inspection criteria from the beginning. Since Penny Lane was not an 'inspected vessel' and the cost way too exorbitant to become "inspected", we had to come up with an alternative plan to get the business off the ground (...or the water... so to speak...)
For those of you who know Hemant well, you also know that he cannot be deterred from a goal once he has it locked in his focus. When confronted with "closed doors", rather than giving up, he is out there searching his own, (or someone else's) pockets for the lock-pick! Through much trial and error, lots of determination, and after talking to dozens of government types, yachties, Captains and various maritime-related professionals, we have finally been able to navigate our way through the regulatory reefs to where we are in a position to use Penny Lane in a limited chartering and accommodation capacity.
This has meant that we cannot operate as originally desired, for sure, but this is only a time constraint, nothing more. It is still very much in our minds for the future. It will happen.
Through Penny Lane we offer small groups or individuals the opportunity to enjoy their very own personalized, private and luxurious accommodation experience in San Francisco, with customized chartering and dining options if so desired.
And through our Catering business (more on that later!) we can also host any number of different types of events, with chartering and accommodation options included.
So... exciting times ahead! No doubt we will have our trials and tribulations, but we will navigate each storm as it arises, and we will strive to consistently provide our guests with a most unique and memorable service every time.
And yes our Webpage will be up and running soon!
Once again, thank you! And welcome aboard M.Y. Penny Lane!
Dan
